Three The Hard Way

It was a daunting task to salvage this Braves series after the horrid outing on Friday night, as they came into the weekend staring down Tim Hudson and John Smoltz.

But oh miracle of miracles, both were chased over the weekend, and everything is right in Met-land ... at least for now.

Chasing Hudson on Saturday alone after three innings was a phenomenal feat considering the success he's enjoyed against the Mets last season (only 2-2, but a 3.33 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP last season). It was so phenomenal that I sat in my chair thinking "nah, he has to be hurt." But sure enough, he's not.

Smoltz however, could very well be hurt as he felt discomfort in his shoulder after his shaky four innings of work during Sunday's Met win. Many, Braves fans and Mets fans alike, will poo-poo the two wins over Atlanta as a result of Smoltz not feeling his best and Larry Jones not playing at all. Valid. But for you Braves fans that come with that argument remember this: Injuries are something that your Braves came into this season being prone/ripe for. It's not like the Braves are suffering freak injuries to guys like Mark Teixeira and Tim Hudson and Jeff Francoeur ... guys who are in their prime and didn't have the injury tag following them. This is happening to the guys over or nearing 40: Jones, who hasn't been injury free since he was telling us to put our Yankee gear on, and Smoltz, who's been healthy since missing all of '00 and most of '01 but is over 40. And let's not forget Tom Glavine, who's never been on the DL until now ... over the age of 40.

(And don't get me started on Mike Hampton.)

Those are the guys that many who picked the Braves to win the World Series (I'm looking at you, Jayson Stark) cited as big reasons. So downgrade the significance of the Mets weekend victories. It's valid. But you're also downgrading your argument about the Braves being a serious World Series contender.

The Mets don't have that to lean on as an excuse, but they do have an old guy in Carlos Delgado who has been awful lately ... until his two solo HR's today which accomplished one very important thing: It made me feel better about ordering that discounted Delgado jersey that I seriously thought about burying underneath the Jackie Robinson rotunda when it comes in the mail.

But Delgado did not want to take a curtain call. Apparently the Shea crowd has become the husband that stayed out carousing all night, and then coming home to his wife (Delgado) and did nothing to berate her and call her things like "fat" and "mean" and "lousy in bed" and "can't hit a curve ball" for weeks. Then all of a sudden the husband tries to make it up to her by buying her flowers, but the wife is still mad so she doesn't reciprocate by baking those Toll House cookies he likes. So Delgado and the fans have a strained relationship right now.

I wonder if Delgado stopped and took the time to think: "WWJD"?

And of course, that stands for "What Would Julio Franco Do?"

"I've got a great deal of respect for the game, and I don't think that's the place for a curtain call." -Carlos Delgado

I hope that the same fans who have been complaining that the Mets lost last year because Jose Reyes and Lastings Milledge fired other clubs up by dancing too much don't come out now and say that Delgado should have taken a curtain call.

That's of course assuming that they buy Delgado's explanation, and don't dismiss it as covering up a desire to stick it to the fans for booing him. Although when you look up "Carlos Delgado Curtain Call" on Google Images, you really don't find a picture of Delgado taking a curtain call. So I'm not sure what to make of it. I just hope Delgado's hitting continues and that I don't get booed at Shea when I wear his jersey.